


Never You, Baby

by spaztronaut



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers to Friends, F/M, The Duff AU, is what the official book description says and i love it, there will be lots of allusions to sex but nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-07-08 11:26:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15929480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaztronaut/pseuds/spaztronaut
Summary: Felicity Smoak has always been a good girl. The kind of girl that gets straight A’s and perfect attendance, and, despite a penchant for hacking, never gets into any real trouble. But being perfect doesn’t make being a teenager any easier and, seeking a distraction, she finds herself hooking up with the sleaziest man whore in school. Oliver Queen is the last guy any self-respecting girl should sleep with. So why can’t she stop?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It’s insane the kind of stuff I find collecting dust in my google docs… This is based off of The DUFF, but sort of loosely. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to include any of the actual DUFF stuff in this, but I don’t know yet. We’ll see. I’m basing it more on the book so if you’ve only seen the movie this is going to be a little darker. I’m posting it because why not, but I don’t have any schedule to update just FYI.

Felicity watched the clock in the front of the room, over the blackboard. Only fifteen minutes left until the school day was officially over.

Usually Felicity was all about school. She loved it. Well, she loved learning and the fact that the effort she put in now would give her more control over her future. She wasn’t as big of a fan if you were talking about, say, the social hierarchy of Starling Prep. She definitely wasn’t a fan of some of her peers, if she could even call them that. But today… today she had an important message awaiting her and Mr. Steele had a strict no phones policy in class.

She glanced to her right to see Helena Bertinelli texting under her desk and rolled her eyes. The policy was more of a guideline for some of the students, but Felicity wasn’t some of the students. She was a scholarship kid, and even though she was pretty sure she was Mr. Steele’s favorite, there was no way she was risking a detention on her sterling record. Not now, when she was getting ready to ask her teachers for recommendation letters for MIT.

A phone dinged in the back of the room and everyone spun to see who it was. Everyone except Felicity, that is. She already knew.

“Sorry about that, Walter,” a voice said, sounding just as smug and overly confident as always. “I forgot to turn it back on silent.”

“Make sure you do, Oliver,” Mr. Steele said, his accent becoming slightly more prominent with his frustration. “And then put it away, please.”

Felicity glanced over her shoulder to see the student in question flip his phone to silent and then shoot a wink to Helena before placing it back in his pocket. Helena barely tried to suppress her smirk and Felicity spun back around in her seat, rolling her eyes. She had little doubt what those two would be doing later.

 _Each other_ , she thought with an annoyed eye roll.

Oliver Queen was the biggest man slut in the northwest. That wasn’t even Felicity judging him, it was just a known fact. He’d sleep with anything that moved and Helena always seemed to be willing to move in his direction. As a matter of fact, a lot of the girls in Starling Prep were interested in Oliver. Maybe it was because his family was the wealthiest of the Starling elite, or maybe it was because he was attractive enough to be a male model. Or maybe the rumors were true and he really was just that good at sex, though Felicity doubted it. Boys like that were always out for themselves. He’d probably never cared for another human being in his life.

Watching Helena throw herself at Oliver repeatedly only to see him flirting with another girl next period just made her appreciate what she’d found with Cooper.

Just thinking about him brought a smile to her face and made her that much more anxious to get out of class so she could check her phone. He’d texted her right after class started and she’d only been brave enough to sneak a peek at her screen while Mr. Steele was writing on the board. Whatever it was Cooper had written her it was a long message and Felicity couldn’t wait to read it.

They’d been dating all summer, ever since a late night hacking session turned into a late night make out session last June. Three months later and they were still going strong. In fact, he’d come over last night while her mother was working so they could say goodbye properly.

A flush rose in Felicity’s cheeks as she recalled just how many times they’d… _said goodbye_ last night.

She was going over his place this afternoon to actually say goodbye alongside the rest of his family as they helped him pack up his car and head off to MIT. He’d officially moved into his dorm a few weeks ago, but he’d flown back to pick up his car and the electronics he didn’t want to ship across country. She was so glad he’d come home, since she wouldn’t see him again until Thanksgiving. Maybe not even until winter break, depending on his workload. She was confident they could make long distance work, though. She’d shared so many firsts with him. First kiss, first date, first time. First successful government hack. And she hoped to share so many more once she got to MIT.

 _Just nine more months_ , she told herself, glancing back up at the clock just in time to see the minute hand strike twelve. The bell sounded and her classmates began a mass exodus for the door. Felicity would usually roll her eyes while slowly collecting her things and making sure she’d written down the homework assignment, but not today. Today she was throwing her books in her backpack and rushing out with the rest of them.

She’d made it halfway down the hall before she was pulling out her phone and hurriedly reading Cooper’s text.

And then she read it again.

And then she read it a third time just to make sure she was reading it right.

“What’s wrong?” a friendly voice interrupted and Felicity looked up to see Caitlin watching her with a worried crease marring her otherwise flawless skin.

Caitlin Snow was one of those people that was friends with everyone. She wasn’t a “popular kid” but everyone knew her. She was a nerd like Felicity, but she was dating the quarterback of the football team, Ronnie Raymond. Her family was rich, but she never acted like it. Felicity had liked her as soon as she met her. It was just an added bonus that she was Cooper’s half sister.

Or, at least, she’d thought so.

Felicity quickly locked her phone, shoving it back into her pocket. “Nothing,” she said, forcing a smile for her friend. “Everything’s great.”

“Was that Cooper you were texting?” she asked, gesturing to the phone in Felicity’s pocket. “It sucks he had to leave early. I know you were planning to come over and say goodbye later.”

Felicity’s nose stung with the threat of tears, but she held them back. “Yeah. It sucks.”

“You should come over anyway. Iris wants to have a girls night. All the ice cream we can eat! What do you say?”

Girls night was one of Felicity’s favorite things. She’d never had many friends back in Las Vegas, so when she moved to Starling City at the beginning of junior year she’d been relieved to meet Caitlin and her other best friend, Iris West. The two girls were kind enough to take Felicity into their group and Caitlin had even introduced Felicity to Cooper once she realized they shared the same love of technology.

Felicity’s chest ached and she felt the urge to pull her phone back out and check Cooper’s message one more time, but instead she said, “Uh… not tonight. I promised my mom I’d help her, uh, do laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.” She splayed her hands awkwardly in front of her. “And Cooper promised he’d call if he got the chance so…”

That was a blatant lie. In fact, if she hadn’t misread his message, then Cooper wouldn’t be calling at all. Probably ever.

“Oh, alright.” Caitlin nodded in understanding, then reached out to take Felicity’s hand in hers. “If you change your mind let me know and Iris and I will come right over, okay? It’s only a little while until Thanksgiving anyway,” she assured her, before heading off in the direction of her next class.

Felicity closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled out her phone. She read the message three more times before she noticed someone else had sidled up to her while she was distracted.

“Seldon’s a bigger douche than I thought,” a vaguely disinterested voice said to her right and she pushed her phone back into her pocket, turning a glare on the last person she wanted to see right now.

“What would you know about it?” she practically growled and Oliver held a hand up in peace.

“Just going to my locker,” he said, gesturing to the open locker beside her. “But,” he added and Felicity grit her teeth, “from the glimpse I got of that text, he’s an asshole and you should forget about him.”

She rolled her eyes. “You would know about being an asshole, huh?”

“I would never treat a woman like that,” Oliver said.

“Right,” Felicity scoffed. “Tell that to Helena or Laurel Lance, or any of the other girls I’ve seen you flirting with.”

“I flirt,” Oliver admitted. “I even sleep around. But I’m always, _always_ straightforward about my intentions. I’ve never lead a girl on and then ditched her once something better came along.”

A furious heat invaded her cheeks and she wanted to tell Oliver that he’d gotten it wrong. That Cooper hadn’t done that to her. That it was just a misunderstanding. But the look in his blue eyes told her that he knew every argument she had on the tip of her tongue and that he wasn’t buying any of them. Instead she ignored him and pulled her phone back out, reading the message one last time.

**I had a really great time last night, but being at MIT the past month has given me some perspective. Long distance just isn’t for me and you’re still in high school. It was fun while it lasted, but I think it’s time to move on. Sorry babe. I’m leaving early, that way we can skip any awkward goodbyes. Maybe I’ll see you around MIT next summer.**

The phone was shaking ever so slightly in her hand. “He never said he was with someone else,” she pointed out.

“Oh, believe me,” Oliver said, slamming his locker shut. “He’s with someone else. He wouldn’t have ended things unless he had a sure thing waiting for him.”

“You’re disgusting,” she growled.

Oliver shrugged. “I’m just telling it like I see it. You know the best way to get over a guy?” he asked, and Felicity didn’t trust that snarky smirk he was wearing.

“To get under a new one?” she said, shaking her head. “Maybe,” she conceded, “but it’s definitely not gonna be you.”

“Smoak,” Oliver laughed, “you wound me.”

Felicity didn’t feel like laughing. Felicity didn’t even feel like going to her next class, but Oliver walked dutifully beside her all the way to fifth period and she’d be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of seeing her skipping class over a guy.

“I’m serious though,” he said as they walked. “You need revenge sex, I’m your guy.”

She ignored that, pushing past him and into their English class.

###

About ten minutes into class Felicity asked Ms. Schwartz if she could go to the bathroom. She didn’t look at Oliver as she walked out of the room, but she could tell he was looking at her. His eyes had a skeevy feeling all their own when they were on her.

When she came back five minutes later she’d managed to collect herself. She didn’t cry, but it had been a close thing. She’d never forgive herself for crying in school and, she promised herself, she could have a good cry once she got home. She might not be interested in having a girls night just yet, but all the ice cream she could eat was exactly what Felicity needed.

She walked back into the classroom and paused when she saw all of her classmates had paired off in her absence, sitting side by side or some even moving their desks into the corner of the room and whispering to one another.

Ms. Schwartz smiled as Felicity walked past her. “We just handed out partners for an essay assignment.”

She handed her a worksheet with two names handwritten in blue ink on top and Felicity stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who she was partnered with.

“Uh, is there any way I could get a different partner?” she asked quietly, hoping no one else could hear. She really didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but…

“I’m afraid everyone’s already started working on picking their topics.”

“I understand,” Felicity told Ms. Schwartz, “but I would really like to switch partners.”

Her teacher, a woman in her late thirties, maybe early forties, gave her a pointed look. “This project isn’t just about getting the work done, but it’s about learning to work with others. Even if you don’t like them. I suggest giving your partner a chance before you totally dismiss him.”

Felicity wanted to argue, but Ms. Schwartz wasn’t the kind of teacher to back down, so she simply nodded and moved back to her desk. Oliver was on her before she’d even sat down.

“Hey, partner.” He grinned that annoying grin of his and Felicity realized just how not in the mood she was.

On a good day she didn’t like talking to Oliver, not that she usually had occasion to talk to him. He was usually too busy trying to get in some girl’s pants. From the glint in his eye she realized that today she was the unlucky girl. He’d scented blood in the water when he’d seen Cooper’s text and now he seemed to think she was easy prey.

“Let’s just get one thing straight,” she said, folding her hands on her desk and keeping her voice low but firm. She only wanted to have to say this once. “I’m not going to sleep with you. Ever. So don’t waste your breath.”

Oliver’s eyebrows shot up and his signature smirk graced his face. “I only wanted to know what topic you wanted to write about, but if you’d rather talk about sex—“

“I don’t want to” —she lowered her voice— “talk about sex. You’re the one that brought it up in the hallway.”

Oliver laughed. “It was a joke, Smoak. I was trying to lighten the mood, you know, since you just got dumped.”

She glared, suppressing the lump rising in her throat. “Listen, I’ll worry about the essay, and then you can go back to chasing girls.”

His blue eyes flickered. “Oliver Queen doesn’t chase girls.”

“But he apparently likes to talk about himself in the third person,” she said with a sigh.

“Look, it’s a team project and, like it or not, Smoak, I’m on your team. So now what topic do you want?” He pointed to the list of topics on her worksheet. “I was thinking about the online bullying one. We could include sexism and how it’s persistent on the internet—“

“ _You_ want to write about sexism?” Felicity was gobsmacked.

Oliver shrugged. “You seem like the kind of girl who would have a lot to say about sexism.”

She rolled her eyes, trying to push down the irritation she felt. She was pretty sure this was what hate felt like. She’d never hated anyone in her life, but if she was going to hate anyone, she thought Oliver Queen would make a decent first.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's been forever since I updated anything! I'm really sorry for being kind of MIA and for not posting the last chapter of Purge Night when I promised I would. I'm trying to get back on track with writing, but my anxiety has been at like an eleven for months and some stuff happened irl that put me in a headspace where I just couldn't write, especially a fic like Purge Night. But I'm attempting to get back into it and hope I'll be able to get a few fic updates posted before the holidays! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Felicity grabbed her calculus book from her locker, stuffing it in her book bag. She caught her reflection in the tiny mirror Iris had given her as a gift freshman year. Her eyes were bloodshot, her blonde hair limp and unwashed, but even after a long night spent crying and one still unanswered text to Cooper, she felt… okay.

She wasn’t great, but she was fine. She even planned to hang out with Caitlin and Iris after school today. Maybe. Felicity still wasn’t comfortable talking about Cooper, and talking about him to his sister? No, thank you. But if Caitlin brought it up she could just change the subject. Caitlin wouldn’t press if Felicity didn’t want her to.

Probably.

Maybe it would be best to just keep to herself for a few days. At least until she was feeling a little more up to talking about it.

She still wasn’t sure what had happened with Cooper. He’d seemed perfectly happy two days ago when he was over her house. They’d had fun, making up for the weeks he’d been in Boston. He’d kissed her goodbye and told her he’d see her tomorrow, but then all she’d gotten was a breakup text and a whole lot of confusion. Had she done something wrong? He’d been so… present that day at her house, but then maybe… Maybe Oliver Queen was right. Maybe he’d met someone in Boston and was just having one last hurrah with her before he left.

She hated how used she felt. She hated how she couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t been good enough. That he’d met someone better. She hated… _him_.

How could he do that to her? They’d been friends for over a year. She’d loved him. She’d lost her virginity to him and he just left her.

“Smoak!”

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that if she didn’t respond then maybe he’d go away.

“Earth to Felicity,” Oliver said, walking up beside her. Her eyes were still shut, but she could tell he wasn’t alone. “What are you doing?”

“Wishing very hard that you’ll go away.” She peeked one eye open to see him and his friend Tommy Merlyn watching her curiously. She opened both of her eyes and sighed. “No such luck.”

Tommy laughed and shook his head. “She really is something, Ollie.”

But Oliver was watching her with a crease between his eyes. “You alright? Still upset about Seldon?”

It was like a punch to the gut and Felicity grit her teeth against the pain. “What do you want, Oliver?”

“Just to know whether you want to work on the essay after school today. Seeing as how it’s twenty percent of our grade and all.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, surprised and irritated that he wouldn’t just let her write the stupid essay herself. It wasn’t like he needed to worry about their grade. Felicity hadn’t gotten below a 95 on an assignment… ever as far as she remembered. And he seemed like the kind of guy to always take the easy way out. He certainly did with the girls he surrounded himself with.

Even now, Helena and her gaggle of groupies were stalking him from the lockers down the hall. Helena’s eyes were dark and possessive as she watched them talking, and Felicity made sure not to make direct eye contact. No way did she need that kind of drama in her life. She seemed to have plenty of her own these days.

“Yeah, sure.” She flung her bag over her shoulder and slammed her locker. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot after the bell.”

Oliver blinked, maybe in surprise that she wasn’t fighting with him on this. What was the point, though? The project needed to get done and he was her partner, for better or worse. Might as well get it over with. Besides, it was a great excuse to get out of hanging out with Caitlin after school.

“Alright,” he said, shooting her a small nod. “See you then.”

She leaned back against her locker, watching him and Tommy head off down the hall towards their next class. As unenthusiastic as she was to spend time with him outside of school, she was sure that this would only be a one time thing. He’d get bored and allow her to finish the essay up on her own, she was sure.

“Making friends with Oliver Queen?” someone asked and Felicity startled, before turning to see Helena and her friends grouping around her.

“Oliver Queen doesn’t have friends. He has… floozies,” she said, giving Helena a pointed look.

Helena bristled at that, but only for a moment. Then her cool, dismissive demeanor fell back into place and she threw Felicity a nasty smile. “Just remember that boys like Oliver don’t end up with girls like you. So keep your fantasies in check. We wouldn’t want you to get your little heart broken, would we, girls?”

A chorus of snide ‘of course not’s rang out, and Felicity could barely be bothered to roll her eyes. Before Helena could say another word, she had already turned away, heading for her calculus class.

###

It took every ounce of willpower she had to meet Oliver in the parking lot after school, but she did.

Or, she would have if he’d bothered to show up on time. The bell had rung a little over twenty minutes ago and Felicity was getting ready to call it and just walk home, when a friendly voice called out to her.

“Hey,” a guy maybe a little older than her said, hurrying over with a small wave. He had dark hair that reminded Felicity of a pompous Disney prince, but his face was open and friendly. “Sorry, I seem to have gotten turned around. I was looking for the office—it’s my first day and I was supposed to stop over and pick up my ID card—but somehow I ended up out here.” He gestured around the parking lot. “Figured I’d ask someone before I spent the next twenty minutes wandering in circles.”

Felicity found herself grinning, drawn in by his infectious friendliness. “Don’t worry about it. I got lost my first day, too. Besides, the office is easy to miss. It’s tucked into a corner near the front entrance.”

She gestured back to the building and noticed Oliver finally coming their way, his arm wrapped around a sophomore that shared her gym period. They were giggling with each other and Felicity barely suppressed an eye roll.

“Just head back inside,” she said, turning back to the new kid, “and follow the hall until you’re forced to make a right. Then it’s just at the end of that hall on your left.”

“Thanks,” he said, smiling widely and giving a goofy shake of his head. “I’m Ray, btw. Ray Palmer.”

“Felicity Smoak,” she said, shooting him a smile just as Oliver finally arrived.

He was watching Ray with narrowed eyes, but quickly lost interest and turned back to his… friend. “I gotta go work on some English project.”

The girl jutted her plump bottom lip out, pouting like that was the worst news she’d ever received. “But Ollie, I thought we could hang out today?”

He simply shrugged. “I’ll text you later if I’m up for it.” Then he nodded towards Felicity. “Come on, Smoak. You ready or what?”

If Felicity had less willpower she probably would have hit him. Instead, she smiled back at Ray, telling him if he needed a tour of the school she’d be happy to meet him there a little early tomorrow—to which he eagerly agreed—then slowly turned back to Oliver with a smug smile.

“Now I’m ready.”

The look Oliver shot her was unimpressed to say the least, but she could see a slight twitching in his jaw that he couldn’t quite suppress. He nodded for her to follow, then headed off in the direction of his car.

###

Oliver Queen was rich.

It was something she knew, everyone knew, but she’d somehow never quite understood the full extent of it until she was in the passenger seat of his Porsche, driving up his long, winding driveway as his mansion—or more accurately, castle—rose up before them.

“Wow.” She didn’t even bother to pretend she wasn’t impressed by this place. It was like something out of a fairytale. “I cannot believe you live here. This is like the kind of place they take us on field trips. It’s basically a castle.”

“They did take us here on a field trip once,” Oliver mused, pulling the car up under an overhang in front of the large entrance way. “I think it might have been a castle at one point. Full disclosure: I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention on that trip. Me and McKenna Hall snuck up to my room and—“

“Ack!” She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her palms over her ears. “I don’t want to know.”

Oliver laughed, shutting off the engine and hopping out of the car. “Come on, Smoak. We’ve got work to do, and I texted Raisa to let her know we were coming so there should be snacks ready.”

“Who’s Raisa?” she asked, getting out of the car and following him towards the front door.

“She’s our housekeeper.” He pulled the door open for her, gesturing her inside. “She makes a mean nacho platter so I hope you’re hungry.”

The moment she stepped into the house she realized her earlier thought—that this place was out of some fairytale—was correct. Only, this wasn’t the warm, loving castle where the long lost princess found her home. This place was… cold.

The foyer was covered in dark wood from floor to ceiling, not an ounce of personality to be found. Felicity couldn’t deny it was gorgeous, with staircases twisting up to the second floor on either side of her and beautiful—and no doubt expensive—marble floors spreading out before her. As she followed him into the kitchen she was enthralled by the paintings hanging in the hallways, and the lush furniture expertly placed to make the most of each space. Yet, there something so off putting about the house, so… lonely, that she almost wished she’d asked him to meet her at her house. Maybe it was haunted. Oliver did say he thought it had been a castle at one point. Or maybe it was just the way it was devoid of any personal touches, like photos of Oliver and his family. It was almost as if it were a hotel or something.

Of course, she didn’t say anything to Oliver, simply followed him into the kitchen where a dark haired woman was wiping down the counter.

“Mr. Oliver,” she said, shooting him a big smile. “I’m so glad you bring a friend over today. I never get to cook for guests.”

The woman smiled warmly at Felicity and introduced herself, before pushing a large plate of nachos—gooey, warm cheese melted all over them—across the counter as Felicity hopped up on one of the stools. Oliver took the seat beside her, digging into the nachos while Felicity got out her laptop.

“So cyberbullying, specifically targeting women,” she said, pulling up a blank Word document. “It’s actually a pretty decent topic,” she admitted, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she typed their names along with a title for their essay. “We should start with an overall look at cyberbullying before diving into—“

“Smoak,” Oliver chided through a mouthful of nacho. “Chill. Eat first. Then we’ll write whatever you want.”

She huffed—because of course he’d made a big deal over doing the essay together and then didn’t  want to do it at all—but pushed her laptop to the side and grabbed a chip, dipping it into the bowl of salsa Raisa had put in the center of the platter. It was delicious and she found herself grabbing a few more before tugging her laptop back over and insisting they get to work. Oliver agreed with a beleaguered sigh, though he didn’t let up on the nachos until the platter was nearly empty.

Strangely, Felicity found that they worked pretty well together. Oliver listened intently and took notes as Felicity read him articles and studies about cyber bullying and sexism. He even had a few good ideas for points they should bring up in the essay. Soon enough they had finished their research and outlined everything they wanted to discuss. By then it was starting to get late and Felicity still had to finish up her homework for all of her other subjects so she texted Iris to see if she could come pick her up.

“You know, I can drive you home if you need a ride,” Oliver said, walking to the fridge. “You don’t have to wait for Iris to drive all the way here.”

He pulled out a bottle of water, offering her one as well.

“I’m fine,” she said, waving off, both his offers as she bookmarked all of the sites they’d been using, making a neat list for when they were putting together their citations. Her phone vibrated on the counter and she grabbed it, reading Iris’ text.

_Sorry. Went to a movie with Barry. Did you ask Caitlin yet?_

But she didn’t want to ask Caitlin. That’s why she’d texted Iris even though Caitlin’s house was closer to Oliver’s. Just the thought of being stuck in a car with her best friend for the thirty minute drive back into the city made Felicity’s palms sweat and a lump form at the back of her throat. She swallowed it down along with her pride.

“Uh…” she said, putting her phone back on the counter. “Actually, maybe I could use that ride after all.”

Oliver didn’t seem to notice the way she grimaced because the words actually left a bitter taste in her mouth. He just nodded, putting the cap back on his water bottle and grabbing his keys from his pocket while she put her laptop in her backpack.

“I can finish writing the first draft tonight if you want,” she said as they walked outside to the car. “And then—“

“Stop trying to shake me, Smoak.” He rounded the car, clicking open the locks and pulling open the driver’s door. “But if you’re that eager...”

“I’m not eager,” she said, climbing into his Porsche. “I just want to get this done.”

Oliver turned the key in the engine, and the car purred to life. A huge difference to the guttural sound her mom’s car made when the engine turned over. But she supposed that was to be expected when comparing an eight year old sedan to a brand new luxury sports car.

“I can meet up again tomorrow if you want to finish it,” he said. “But only until six. I have plans with—”

She pulled a face, begging him, “Please don’t ever tell me about your plans,” and he laughed, waggling his eyebrows.

“Don’t worry, Smoak. I won’t try to pull you out of your prudish little world.”

“I’m not a prude. I just don’t get the appeal of sleeping with strangers.” She crossed her arms, watching as he started down the driveway. “I’d rather have someone who actually cares about me.”

“Like Seldon cared about you?”

He might as well have punched her. Her stomach twisted, that feeling of being used, of not being good enough nearly overwhelming her. She was glad she’d only had a few nachos or else they might have threatened to come back up.

Felicity wasn’t sure what face she made, but Oliver looked like he might have regretted saying that. Still, he didn’t apologize and she didn’t bother speaking to him for the entirety of the drive to her apartment.

When he dropped her off, hesitantly asking whether they would be meeting up tomorrow, she said yes, then slammed the car door in his face. The sooner they were done with this project the better. Then she’d never have to speak to him again.


End file.
